Heel machine



April 5, 1932. wo 1,852,140

HEEL MACHINE Filed Sept. '7, 1926 e Sheets-Sheet 1 F31. AW

F. ASHWORTH HEEL MACHINE April 5, 1932.

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 7,--1926 F. ASHWORTH HEEL MACHINE April 5, 1932.

Filed Sept. 7, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 April 5, 1932. F. ASHWORTH 1,852,140

HEEL MACHINE Filed s t. '7, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.4.. Z {i E April 5, 1932. ASHWORTH 1,852,140

HEEL MACHINE Filed Sept. '7, 1926 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 5, 1932. r s w 1,852,140

HEEL MACHINE Filed Sept. 7, 1926 6 Sheets$heet 6 Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED stares PATENT OFFICE FRED ASHWOBI'IH, OF WENHAM, IZASSACI-IUSE TTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOEf MACHINERY CORPQRATION, F PATTERSON, NEW JERSEY,.A CORORATION OF NEW JERSEY V HEEL MACHINE Application filed September 7, 1926. Serial No. 133,941.

This invention relates to heel machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine capable of performing automatically in sequence the operations of compressing and breasting a heel.

My co-pending application Serial No. 660,750, filed September 4:, 1923, now Patent No. 1,790,084, dated Jan. 27, 1931, discloses and claims a practical machine adapted to perform the above stated. operations upon heels, and in important respects the present invention may be regarded as in the nature of an improvement upon and development of that disclosed in the said application. It will 'be manifest, however, as the description proceeds, that certain features of the present in vention are not limited in their utility to a machine for performing the particular opera- .tions named, but are well suited to their own uses in heel machinery of various types.

One important ob ect of the invention is to increase the certainty and accuracy of operation of machines in which blanks such, for eX- ,ample, as heels are fed automatically to one or more positions where operations are performed on them.

With this obycct in view an important reature of the invention consists in the provision of blank feeding mechanism comprising feed "chains provided with means for positively onthe side edges of a heel blank. In the illustrated machine the heel blank engaging devicesconsist of fingers mounted upon the feed chains, and a plurality of pairs of such fingers are shown in the accompanying drawings which illustrate a machine adapted to perform a plurality of operations upon a heel, which must, therefore, be fed to a plurality of operating positions.

The fingers are so shaped as to eifect a positive engagement with a heel blank and this feature, together with another feature of the invention, consisting in the provision of positive stops which predetermine the limit of their positive actuation, the limits of their movement may be positively determined without danger of breakage of the mechanism.

Further features of the invention relate to improved means for positioning, holding, and controlling the movements of the blanks to secure increased accuracy and uniformity in the product;

Many other advantageous features and details of the invention will be best understood. and appreciated by reading the following description of one successful, practical embodiment thereof in connection with the ac companying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, from the front, ofthe principal operating parts of a machine embodying the invention, with portions broken away to reveal parts which would otherwise be hidden;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the machine;

through which the feed mechanism is driven;

9 is a vertical sectional View of a detail of the feed chain mounting taken on the line IXIX of Fig. 5;

10 is an enlarged perspective View showing a portion of the feed chain and the blank engaging fingers;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a detail of 1the machine at blank receiving position, anc

Figs. 12-and 13 illustrate details of the blank supporting and positioning devices.

Referring now to the drawings which, as previously stated, illustrate a machine for performing the two operations of compressing and breasting upon heel blanks, 20 indicates a conventional type of frame similar to those commonly used for commercial heel compressors. A stationary heel seat'forming die 22 is supported in the" frame 20, being immovably secured in operative position by a bolt 24.

The heel seat die co-operates with the usual compressing mold, comprising a breast die 26 and side dies 28, carried by a crosshead 30 which is mounted to reciprocate vertically on suitable guides in the frame 10. Reciprocation of the crosshead is effected by the usual toggle mechanism 82 (see Figs. 3 and 4) cperated by a connecting rod 34 from the crank shaft 36 which is the main driving shaft of the machine. Further detailed description of this mechanism 'is unnecessary, inasmuch as it is already well known in the art.

A feed table 38 (Fig. 10) is provided at the front of the machine and is adjustably secured in a slot 40 (Fig. 1) by a bolt 42. The feed table is provided with a gage 44'against which a heel blank 46 may be placed upon a support 48 in position to be received by the blank feeding mechanism.

The blank feeding mechanism comprises a pair of endless feed chains 50 running fore and aft of the machine. At thefront of the machine the feed chains are engaged and supported by sprockets secured to the upper ends of the vertical shafts 52 and at the rear of the machine the feed chains engage and are supported by sprockets 54 which rotate idly upon pins 56.

I The front sprockets, upon the shafts 52, serve to drive the feed chains and are operated by mechanism which will now be described. Secured to the lower end of each shaft 52 is a pinion 58 meshing with an idle pinion 60 which in turn meshes with a gear 62. The two gears 62 mesh with each other, as shown in Fig. 2, with the result that the two shafts 52 are constrained to rotate equally and oppositely. The right-hand gear 62 is integral with a sleeve 64 at the lower end of which is formed a clutch flange 66. The clutch flange 66 is recessed in its lower face, as shown at 68 in Fig. 7, and the sleeve 64 is freely rotatable upon a stationary vertical shaft 70.

A disk 72, which is also freely rotatable upon the shaft 70, is provided with a pin 74 adapted to engage in the recess 68 and trans- Init power from the disk 72to the gear 62. The recess 68 is sufficiently elongated to permit a considerable amount of lost motion between the disk 7 2 and the gear 62 when the direction of rotation is reversed.

The disk 72 rests upon a flange 7 6 formed upon the hub 78 of a beveled pinion 80 which is also freely rotatable upon the shaft 70. A shear pin 82 provides a driving connection between thev flange 76 and the disk 72 but is sufficiently weak to be broken before any is also secured a gear 88. The gear 88 meshes with a gear segment 90 which is mounted to oscillate about a pivot 92 in a bracket 94 which is carried by the vertically movable crosshead 30, as is also all themechanism above described. The lower end of the segment arm 96 is pivoted at 98 to one'end of a link 100, the other end of which is pivoted at 102 to a stationary bracket 104 secured to the frame of the machine.

By following through the mechanism above described, it will be seen that when the crosshead 30 is reciprocated vertically the feed chains 50 will also be reciprocated forwardly and rearwardly of the machine, the rearward, or feeding, movement of the chains occurring during the descent of the crosshead and the forward, or return, movement of the'chains occurring during the rise of the cross head. By reason of the lost motion resulting from movement of the pin 74 in the recess 68 there will be a substantial dwell after each reversal of the driving gears, that is to say, before the beginning of the feeding and return movements of the feed chains, the action of the feed mechanism, therefore, being intermittent.

In the inner stretch of each chain there is a long link 106 (Figs. 1, 5 and 10) which carries the blankedge engaging fingers, of which there are two pairs. These fingers are so formed as to embrace the side edges of a heel blank and to extend around the breast corners of the blank so that the blank is held and fed positively.

Each of the lingers 1 08 ofthe front pair is 7 front pair. Each of the fingers 114 is secured by a readily removable pin 116 (Fig. to an arm 118 which is pivoted at 120 to the corresponding link 106. A small compression sprlng 122 tends to keep the arms 118 in the position shown in Fig. 5.

The function of the fingers 108 is to feed a blank from receivingposition upon the support 48 to the compressing mold, and that of the fingers 114 is to feed a compressed blank from the compressing mold to a blank support 124 where another operation, in the present instance breasting, is performed upon it. 114 is the same as that between the two m,ech-, anisms for operating upon the blank so that, with one rearward movement of the feed chains, one blank is fed from receiving position at the front of the machine tothe compressing mold and a previously com- The space between the fingers 108and pressed blank is simultaneously fed from the compressing mold to the blank support 124 where it is to be breasted. In the illustrated machine, for example, the space between that portion. of one of the fingers 114 which engages the breast corner of a blank and the corresponding portion of the finger 108 upon the same feed chain is substantially the same as the space between the blank breasting knife and the breast end of the blank compressing mold.

In order that the blanks may be grasped and released by the feeding fingers at the proper times, provision is made for moving e the fed chains toward and from each other in proper timed relation to their forward and rearward movements. To this end the front feed-chain sprockets are carried by arms 126, 128 which are mounted to swing about the vertical axes of the respective gears 62, and the rear sprockets 54 are supported in forks 130 mounted upon the outer ends of arms 132 mounted to swing about vertical axes defined by screws 134 which are visible in Figs. 5 and 12. The arms 126, 128 are connected to equal and opposite movements by segmental gears 136 (Fig. 2) and the arms 132 are similarly connected by segmental gears 138 (Figs. 4 and 12).

The approaching and separating movements of the feed chains are derived from a cam 140 mounted upon the driving shaft 36 (see Fig. 3). A cam lever 142 is mounted for movement about a stationary pivot 144 andhas at its lower end a cam roll 146 which is held in engagement with the cam 140 by a spring 148. The upper end of the cam lever 142 is connectedby a link 150 to a rocker member 152 which is, in turn, connected by a link 1554 to an arm 156 which is rigid with one of the arms 132. It will thus be seen that movement of the cam lever 142 by the cam 1.40 will cause the arms 132, and the sprockets 54 carried thereby, to be moved toward or from each other.

The approaching or separating movement of the arms 132 is transferred to the arms 126, 128 by mechanism which will now be described. Referring to Fig. 12, an arm 158, integral with one of the arms 132, is pivotally connected to a rod 160 which extends forward through the frame of the machine as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The rear end of the rod 160 is surrounded by a compression spring 162, which takes up any lost motion in the parts and co-operates with the spring 148 in holding the cam roll 146 against the cam 140. The forward end of the rod 160 is provided with rack teeth which engage an idle pinion 164 meshing with a gear segment 166 upon a rocker arm 168 adjustably connected by a screw 170 to the arm 128. By reason of the above described connections the feed chain supporting arms swing toward and from each other in unison and the' chains are kept sub-' stantially parallel. The timing of the earn 140 is such that the feed chains are moved toward each other, to cause the fingers 108 and 114 to engage the respective blanks,-

and this separated relation of the chains is maintained while the blank engaging fingers initial blank receiving.

return to their positions.

Between the front and rear sprockets the feed chains are supported and guided by bars 172. Each of the long links 106 is provided with a lug 174 which is arranged to engage positively an adjustable stop 176 which defi-I nitely determines the; inward limit of the feeding movement. Inasmuch as the gearing for driving the chains is positively actuated, always by the same amount, it will be apparent that provision should be made for preventing breakage in the event that the lugs 174 engage the stops 176 before movement of the gearing ceases. This is accomplished by providing yielding mountings for the rear sprockets, which arrangement is effective for the reason that the inward, or feeding, movement of the inside stretches of the feed chains is produced by exerting a forward pull upon the outer stretches of the chains.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 9, there is mounted in the rear end of each bar 172 a housing178 containing a compression spring 180 which bears against a bushing 182 held upon a rod 184 by nuts 186. The rod 184 is slidable through the housing 178, against the tension of the spring 180. The front end of the rod 184 is provided with an eye through which the pin 56 passes and the bar 172 is slotted at 188 to permit movement of the pin 56 longitudinally of the bar. This construction permits the sprocket 54 to yield forwardly of the machine when the pull upon the outer stretch of the. feed chain continues after the lug 174 has engaged the stop 176 and the mechanism is so designed that this action shall always occur, with any adjustment of the stop 176, in order that there shall be no uncertainty as to the completion of the feeding movement.

Stops 190, also engageable by the lugs 17 4, are arranged to limit the return movement of the feed chains but these'stops are solely for the purpose of preventingv overthrow of the chains in their return movement, which would be permitted by the lost motion between the pin 74 and the flange 66, and the stops 190 are so positioned that they will not be engaged by the lugs 174 untilthe shafts 52 cease to rotate.

The blank which is deposited upon the blank support 124 by the fingers 114 is positioned against an adjustable edge gage the details of the constructiono'f which areshowrr between the diagonal slots 210. V

in Figs. 4, 12 and 13. The heel engaging elements of the back gage consists of two fingers 192 which are guidedfor transverse adjustment in a dovetail slot 194 formedin an intermediate plate 196 which is guided for fore and aft adjustment in a dovetail slot 198 formed in a base block 200 which has a depending stem 202. Screws 204, threaded in the fingers 192, have unthreaded ends 206 which extend downwardl through transverse slots 208 in the intermediate plate 196 into diagonal slots 210 in the base block 200. The intermediate plate 196 has a downwardly extending ear 212 through which passes freely & an adjusting screw 214 which is threaded into the base block 200. It will be understood that, by turning the single adjusting screw 214, the blank edge engaging fingers 192 will p be simultaneously adjusted forwardly or rearo'wardly and toward or from each other, the

ratio between the transverse and longitudinal adjustments being determined by the angle The stem 202 is not vertical bt is inclined 9,5 downwardly and rearwardly and is movable in a correspondingly inclined guide 216.

formed in the back of the crosshead 30. The inclined stem 202 is retained in the guideway 216 by a plate 218, the fit of thevparts being eo such that there is considerable frictional resistance to up-and-down movement of the stem 202 in the guideway. 7

At the lower end of the stem'202 there is a M rearward projection 220 which is arranged to engage adjustable stops 222, 224 mounted upona stationary bracket 226. When the crosshead 3O approaches the limit of its upward movement theprojection 220 engages the stop 222 and the gage fingers 192 are de- 40 pressed to, or below, the level of the blank support 124, permitting the blank to be dis charged from the gages. When the cross head approaches thelimit of its downward movement the projection 220 engages the stop 224 and the gage fingers 192 are restored to position to be engaged by a blank fed upon the support 124. I

' In order that a blank upon the support 124 shall be kept under complete control at all 'times, blank retaining mechanism is provided which engages the blank before it is released by the feed chains and holds it accurately in operating position until the breast- .ing operation has been performed upon it.

A blank retainer, consisting of a vertical rod of a spring 238 which tends to depress the .arm 234 and the blank retainer 228. The

'45 other arm 240 of the bell crank lever carries blank retaining rod 228 is thus kept elevated to permit a blank to be fed under it upon the support 124. Near or at the end of the downward movement of the crosshead the roll 242 passes beneath the block 248, permitting the retainer 228 to be depressed by the spring 238 into engagement with a blank which has by'this time been fed uponthe blank support. As the crosshead 3O rises, the roll 242 carries the block 248 up with it until the roll engages the inclined portion 246 of the cam and is thrown toward the rear.

until it rides upon the vertical portion 244.

V7 hen the roll is thus moved from'beneath.

the block 248 the latter descends'under the influence of the spring 250.

Before the retainer 228-is lifted from the blank, the blank engages a presserfoot 252 which is sustained in a stationary friction mounting 254. The friction upon the presser I foot 252'is quite heavy and, as the'upward movement of the blank support continues, the blank is firmly held while the breasting operation is performed. upon, it by a stationary breasting knife 256 past which the blank is moved. The chip removed by the breasting knife falls into a. chute 258 by which it is conducted away. During the next downward movement of the crosshead 30 the cross-member 230 engages a vertically movable tube 260 resting upon the upper end of the presser foot 252 and acting to restore the said presser foot to its former position, ready to be engaged by the next blank.

During this downward movement of the crosshead 30, the heel is discharged into a delivery chute 262 by an automatically operated kicker 264, the construction and operation of which is completely described in my former application hereinbefore referred to.

Having described the invention, what is chains at opposite sides of the operating.

means, and heel blank side edge engaging fingers mounted upon said feed chains.

3. A heel machine comprising means for operating upon a heel blank, a pair of feed chains at opposite sides of the operating means, and means carried by said chains for simultaneously positively engaging the side edges of a plurality of heel blanks.

4. A heel machine comprising means. for operating upon a heel blank, a pair of feed chains at opposite sides of the operating means, and a plurality of pairs of heel blank side edge engaging fingers mounted upon said feed chains. 7

5. In a heel machine, the combination of a plurality of separated mechanisms for operating upon a heel blank, a pair of feed chains arranged at opposite sides of said mechanisms and movable in straight lines from one to another of said mechanisms, and a piurality of pairs of heel blank edge engaging fingers mounted upon said chains and spaced apart the same as said operating mechanisms.

6. In a heel machine, the combination of a compressing mechanism, a breasting mechanism, and blank feeding mechanism comprising a blank engaging device reciprocable between a blank receiving position and compressing position and a blank engaging device reciprocable between compressing position and breasting position.

7. A machine for compressing and breasting heels in a continuous operation having separated, alined, heel receiving, heel compressing, and heel breasting stations, and reciprocating means for feeding heels one at a time from the receiving station to the compressing station and from the compressing station to the breasting station.

8. In a heel machine, the combination of means for operating upon a heel blank, a feed chain for feeding a blank to operating posi-- tion, and a stop arranged to be engaged by an element of said chain to stop the feeding movement of the chain when a blank reaches operating position.

9. In a heel machine, the combination of means for operating upon a heel blank, a feed chain for feeding a blank to operating position, a stop arranged to be engaged by an element of said chain to stop the feeding movement thereof, and a blank engaging finger mounted upon the chain and adjustable to diiferent positions thereon to provide for the feeding of blanks of difierent sizes to the same operating position.

10. In a heel machine, the combination of means for operating upon a heel blank, a feed chain for feeding a blank to operating position, and an adjustable stop arranged to be engaged by an element of said chain to stop the feeding movement of the chain when a blank reaches operating position.

11. In a heel machine, the combination of means for operating upon a heel blank, a feed chain reciprooable between a blank receiving position and operating position, and stops at said two positions arranged to be engaged by an element of the chain to determine posi- 770 tively the limits of its reciprocating movement. 1

12. In a heel machine, the combination of means for operating upona heel blank, and

means for holding a blank in predetermined operating position, comprising an edge gage tion to a position in which it engages a blank upon said support, and means whereby movement of the work support causesmovement of said gage between operative and inoperative positions. 7

15. In a heel machine, the combination of means for operating upon a heel blank, a feed chain for feeding a blank to operating position, positive actuating mechanism for said feed chain, a positive stop arranged to be engaged by an element of said chainto determine the limit of its feeding movement, and a yielding mounting for said chain.

16. In a heel machine, the combinationof means for operating upon a heel blank, an end ess feed chain for feeding a blank to operating position, a plurality of sprockets upon which said chain is supported, mechanism for rotating one of said sprockets posi';

tively to drive the chain, a yielding mounting for another of said sprockets, and a positive stop arranged to be engaged by an element of said chain to determine the limit of its feeding movement.

17. In a heel machine, the combination of means for operating upon a heel blank, a feed chain for feeding a blank to voperating position, positive actuating mechanism for said feed chain, positive stops arranged to be engaged by an element of said chain to determine both limits of its feeding movement, and a yielding mounting for said chain.

18. In a-heel machine, the combination of means for operating upon a heel blank, means for feeding a blank to operating position and releasing it, a blank retainer,means for moving the retainer into engagement with the blank before it is released by the feeding means, and a presserfoot, engageable by the blank before it is operated upon, for holding the blank firmly. 1-30 19. In a 'heelmachine, a vertically movable work, support, a blank retainer movable into engagement with a blank upon said support, a tool positioned above the work support, and a frictionally sustained presser foot arranged to be engaged by said blank during movement of the work support toward the tool.

20. In a heel machine, a stationary tool, a heel support movable toward and from the tool, a yielding presser foot sustained in a friction mounting in a position to be engaged by a heel upon the support as the support moves toward the tool, to hold the heel while it is being operated upon by the tool, and a heel retainer movable into engagement with the heel before it engages the presser foot.

21. In a heel machine, a stationary tool, a

heel support" movable toward and from the tool, a frictional'ly sustained presser foot positioned to be engaged by a heel upon the support as the support moves toward the tool, to holdthe heel while vit is being operated upon by the tool, a heel retainermovable intoengagement with the heel before it engages the. presser foot, and means for returning the presser foot to initial position after the heel has been operated upon.

22. In a heel machine, the combination of means'for operating upon a heel blank, inmittent feed mechanism constructed and arranged always to stop at the same point for feeding a blank to operating position, and a blank engaging finger mounted upon said feed mechanism unyieldingly in the direction of feed and adjustable to different positions thereon to provide for feeding blanks of different sizes to and stopping them at, the 7 same definite operating position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specificatlon.

FRED ASHWORTH. 

